Monday, February 17, 2014

Kitty's Got Claws (#20)

In the words of Pain and Panic from Disney's Hercules... "We. Are. WORMS!" Yeah, we've left this hanging far too long. I blame the rabid were-platypii infesting the world with their strangeness. Or the holidays and other obligations. But I'm all about the were-platypii. Someone get on that.

*****

“I was scared when you
weren’t in bed and I couldn’t find you. I thought something dreadful had
happened. Then, when I heard you in the gym.” He leaned against the closet wall
with a sigh. “I went a bit nuts. I couldn’t believe you’d risk your health and
recovery like you did. I wanted to shift and run until my paws were sore, but
this damn cast kept that from happening. So, I picked a fight. With your
treadmill.” He winced at her rising growls. “I won.”

“You broke my
treadmill?” When her breath came out as a hiss, he wasn’t sure if it was from
the pain of trying to sit up or pure anger. “What are you, two years old?
Something happens that you don’t like so you break things?” Definitely anger.

“I’ll replace it. Just
tell me what kind to get.”

“Are you serious?” She
spoke through her teeth, but her fangs didn’t drop. “You can’t go around destroying
my things every time you get pissed off. And you’re the guy who’s teaching me
about control?”

He closed his eyes and
banged his head against the wall. “I’m sorry. I’m not going to give you a lame
excuse. Just let me make this right.”

Nulli pushed herself up,
groaned, and headed for the door. “Of all the things you could have chosen, you
pick something important to me. You have camera lenses that are worth
thousands. Why not break your own stuff?”

Brian let his head drop
to his knees as she left the closet. What could he tell her? He had no excuse
for what he’d done. He had been pissed and lashed out. She was right in saying
he acted like a toddler. When he fucked up, he did it royally.

He waited until he heard
her walk down the stairs before he left the closet. Running his hand through
his hair, he sighed and headed for the kitchen. The sun was already coming up.
His mate was pissed. There was no chance for sleep at this point. He only hoped
he wouldn’t be on the couch that night. He grabbed the coffee beans and dumped
a handful into the grinder. It was going to be a long day.

He pulled down a mug and
filled it to the brim. As he sat at the table, he wrestled with the feelings
that led to the destruction of his mate’s treadmill. His initial instinct was
to blame her. If she hadn’t been down there… If she didn’t think she was
invincible… Not only was that unfair to her, it felt wrong. His actions were
his own, not hers. He may have acted childishly, but he wasn’t a child to point
to someone else and say “it’s her fault.” No. This foolishness was all on him.

So, why? He poured a
second cup of coffee. Staring into the swirling black liquid, he walked through
the morning. Not just what he did, but how he felt. The thing that stood out
the most for him, the underlying emotion that fueled his words and actions, had
been fear. A very real terror that he wouldn’t find Nulli in the house at all.
That she had been taken by agents of PSI Tech while he slept. That once more,
she had been injured on his watch.

He had been terrified,
and to find her in the workout room, oblivious to that terror, had been more
than he could handle. Relief had nearly brought him to his knees, but anger had
followed hard on its heels. He’d wanted to snatch her up and shake some sense
of self-preservation into her. He’d wanted to lock her away until the danger
had passed. He’d wanted to shift and run and kill something, anything to
release the pressure of his bottled up emotions. The treadmill had simply been
the closest thing at hand.

It hadn’t helped.
Staring at the wreckage, he had been shocked at his lack of control. There was
too much going on inside of him. Too much he kept hidden in order to be strong.
Too much he refused to acknowledge. Too much. The results had been a
destructive melt down right when his mate needed him to keep a level head.

“You really know how to
time it, Arcady.” He raised his mug to his reflection in the refrigerator, then
drained it of the bitter brew. He sighed and rose to pour another cup.

Nulli entered the room
with her normally seductive lips pressed together. A hardness had settled in
her eyes, and she didn't speak right away, though she did stare at him. "I
don't think I'll be able to fix it."

“I didn’t think you
could.” He twirled the cup in his fingers. “I’m sorry, Nulli. I will replace
it. I swear.”

"I'll use the ones
at the gym." She didn't have to say how she felt. Disappointment saturated
her voice and sent a chill through his veins.

“You don’t have to do
that. I can have a new one delivered in a day or two at the latest.” His
shoulders drooped, and he pushed back his chair to stand. “Though I suppose I
could understand if you’d prefer to use theirs.”

A long sigh slipped
through her lips before she shook her head. "That treadmill was over
$3,500. Just let it go."

“I’ll replace it. The
cost isn’t the issue. I should have enough set aside to cover it.” He emptied
the pot into his cup, then went through the motions of making another. “It’s only
right that I replace it. You deserve no less.”

Nulli flexed her fingers
and rolled her eyes. "What the hell are we doing, Brian? I don't want to
go back and forth about whether or not you're going to replace the treadmill.
Not if this is going to be a recurring theme."

He ground the coffee
beans as he collected his thoughts. Now was not the time to stumble over his
words. Taking a deep breath, he started the second pot and returned to his
seat. “It shouldn’t happen again. I’ve been torn between scared to absolute
death that I was going to lose you and so terribly furious at myself that I was
unable to protect you from harm. The danger from PSI Tech, the wreck, the
fuck up at the hospital with latex that nearly killed you… how much of that could
I have prevented? How much should I have? Then, when I woke up this morning,
and you were gone?” He rested his elbows on the table and buried his face in
his hands. “I thought, ‘you’ve done it again, Arcady. You’ve let them take your
mate right from under your nose.’ I searched the house with my heart in my
throat. When I found you, when I saw you were okay, I lost it.”

"Why didn't you say
that? Those are things I understand. Do you know why I was down there?
Because you have a broken arm. If those bastards come back, your entire right
side is vulnerable. I need to be your right side, Brian. I need to be able to
cover you if I need to." Her eyes were soon brimming with tears, but she
wiped them away. "I don't understand these PSI people. I don't know when
they'll stop or if they'll stop, but I won't sit around and do nothing while
you could be in danger."

“I didn’t say that
because I haven’t taken the time to sort through everything until now. All I’ve
known is fear and worry and anger and relief then right back to fear again.
I’ve never felt so responsible for someone and yet so utterly helpless before
in my life.” He rubbed a hand over his face and risked looking into her eyes.
He wondered if his looked as haunted as hers. “But, sweetheart, you’re just as
injured as I am. Even more so because busted ribs make you feel like an
elephant is sitting on your chest. We have friends around who will help us
until we’re well. Let them. Then you can kick ass.”

"These people want
to hurt shifters and I'm supposed to let my friends step in front of us? No,
Brian. Those PSI people can't have them too." She shook her head and
turned her back to him, leaning on the sink.

“They are shifters, too,
Nulli. They want these guys stopped just as much as we do. They have
volunteered their time out of love for you. Let them help us. There is no shame
in taking help when it’s been freely offered.”

"They're exposing
themselves. What if PSI didn't know about them? We're grouping my friends
together here. Do you want to paint the actual targets on their backs for those
psychos?" Her body appeared to vibrate as she gripped the edge of the
sink. "I know they'd do anything to help and that's what I'm afraid
of."

“Each one of them
patrolling the woods right now are Wardens. Each one. If anyone is on PSI
Tech’s radar, it’s them. I can’t make you rest or take care of yourself, but if
you continue to push your limits, you’re going to wind up back in the hospital
where the Wardens can’t patrol with ease. I’m trying to keep you safe,
but you’re not letting me.”

Nulli whipped around and
flared her nostrils. "There is no such thing as safe! Did you forget
everything you told me? About what they're capable of? I'll never forget what
they can do." She held her side and shook her head.

“Don’t forget, but don’t
let it run your life, either. Yes, they attacked us. Yes, they might do it
again. I refuse to change the way I live because of them. I refuse to give them
that much power over me.” He rose from the table and paced the room. “This
isn’t the first time I’ve had a run-in with a group like PSI Tech. They took my
father from me. They took several of my friends. Some returned. Most didn’t. My
father didn’t. It haunts my mother to this day that she lost her mate to those
kinds of monsters. But I can’t let fear rule me. I can’t. I did today, and see
what happened!”

Nulli closed her eyes
and took slow breaths. She didn't say anything, and he wasn't sure how to
interpret her silence.

He turned off the coffee
machine and set his cup in the sink. With a heavy heart, he kissed her cheek
and moved towards the stairs. “I need a shower.” He hoped time apart would
help. He was out of ideas.

The sound of the
bathroom door opening sent his heart beating faster. Was it anxiety or relief?

Nulli stood next to the
shower and spoke in a quiet voice. "Need help with your hair?"

“Yeah, I’d like that.”
He pulled back the curtain and offered her a tentative smile. “I can’t do it by
myself. Damn cast. Gonna chew it off.”

She stepped into the
spray and fixed her gaze on his eyes. "I know." She smiled back and
held her hand out toward the shampoo bottle on the ledge behind him.

He wrapped his arm
around her waist and pulled her against his chest. “I love you so much it
scares me, Nulli. I can’t imagine being without you.” He teased her with soft
kisses. “Try not to hurt yourself too much.”

"I love you too,
and I'll try to stay in bed more if you’ll stay with me." She winked and
lifted a hand to pinch his ear.

“Now that is a plan I
could definitely get behind.” He nibbled her lip. “And in front of. And
beneath.”

"I think I'm a bit
limited on those options right now, kitty." A light chuckle eased out of
her as she ran her fingers through his hair. "You're going to get bored,
aren't you?" Her tone was teasing, and she poked out her tongue.

“Never in a million
years, mate. I’ll never get bored with you.” He captured her lips and teased
her tongue with his. Ignoring the shower spray, he walked her until her back
pressed against the tiles as he ran his hand over her wet body. His purrs
echoed in the small room as he trailed his lips across her cheek to nip her
ear. “I need you. Tell me if I hurt you.”

Brian placed his cast
against the tile for support. This time he wore one of those protective bags
from the drugstore. It gave him the freedom to bathe without worrying about
soaking the cast. It gave him the freedom to tease his mate. He traced the
silky whirl of her ear with his tongue as his purrs grew louder. He suckled the
lobe. Nipped it. Whispered all the things he wanted to do to her once she
healed.

He ran his hand along
her side. She was sleek and lean. Firm and muscular. He cupped her breast and
thumbed her nipple. She was feminine and soft in the best of places. She hissed
when he scraped the hard peak with the edge of his nail. He hid his grin in her
hair when she pressed her breast into his hand.

“Naughty kitten.” He
nuzzled her neck with a soft chuckle. At her frustrated growl, he bent to take
her nipple into his mouth. She moaned when he lapped at the sensitive flesh.
She growled when he purred around the hard peak. She hissed when he pulled
away. “Patience, sweetheart.”

He followed the rivulets
of water down her stomach with his tongue. He nipped at the curve of her hip.
Placed a kiss on the satiny skin above her soft curls. Her fingers tangled in
his slick hair as he nuzzled against her. God, how her body called to his!
Everything about her pulled him, beckoned him to lose himself in her. Her
scent. Her taste. Her strength. Her love.

He used his cast since
he couldn’t use his arm. He rested it on his bent knee against the tiles just
under the firm cheeks of her ass. He inhaled her heady scent as he lifted her
leg over his shoulder. “I’ve stabilized this damn cast, kitten. Sit if you need
to. You won’t hurt me.”

The water pounded
against the back of his neck as he lapped and tasted his mate. He nibbled her fleshy
lips. Tasted her nectar. Purred around the sensitive nub of her clit. Her
answering growls and purrs made him ache to feel her body gripping his. She
tugged on his hair one moment, pushed him away the next. She whimpered and
hissed. Her sexy little noises were driving him crazy.

“I wanted to take my
time. Make this last. But damn if you’re not making it hard to wait.”

He lowered her leg from
his shoulder and wrapped it around his waist as he stood. With a smooth thrust,
he buried his cock in her warmth. Her inner muscles massaged his length. He
gritted his teeth as her purrs added that extra level of sensation.

He withdrew slowly,
savoring the smooth slide of her body. The tightness. She arched her back as he
hovered on the edge of pulling out. As he bent to taste her lips, her fingers
dug into his arms. Her sharp intake of breath and her muffled whimper, were not
due to pleasure.

“What’s wrong, kitten?”
His legs shook with the effort to remain still as he searched her face. “Did I
hurt you? Maybe this was a bad idea.” As he started to withdraw, she not only
tightened her leg around his waist, she also raised the other to lock her
ankles at the small of his back. He groaned as she pulled him deep inside her.

“Stop now, Brian, and I
will eat your soul.” Her golden eyes narrowed as she growled. “I took a deep
breath. That wasn’t a good idea. I’ll be fine, kitty. Don’t stop.”

He adjusted his hold on
her, setting the cast under one of her thighs while gripping her firm ass with
his good hand. His strokes were smooth, slow, and deep. She clenched her
muscles to grip him on each withdrawal. Her purrs vibrated down his shaft
straight to his aching balls. His teased her clit with every thrust.

As his climax
approached, he sank his fangs into his mating bite with a growl. His thrusts
grew shorter, harder. He ground against her. His purrs rumbled through his
chest and along his erratically pumping cock. She clawed at his shoulders. She
growled and hissed. Her purrs drove him crazy. Her roar of pleasure echoed in
the small chamber. His was muffled against her shoulder as he released deep
inside of her.

The water cooled as he
lapped at her bite. His shoulders felt like he’d run naked through a briar
patch. The rest of him felt like heaven. He couldn’t have stopped his purrs if
he tried. Easing her legs from his waist, Brian supported her until she could
stand on her own. He gave them both a quick wash before the water turned
frigid. Stepping from the shower, each patted the other dry while stealing
teasing kisses and playful caresses.

Brian slipped on a pair
of cotton gym shorts with Nulli’s help. After she dressed, they piled onto the
sofa facing the patio. “I only have about a week of medical leave before I’m
not drawing a paycheck. I don’t think PSI Tech will come for me in the middle
of the conference center, but I don’t want to leave you here by yourself.” He
wrapped one of her many curls around his finger. “I suppose I could give you a
collar and leash and bring you in as an exotic pet?”

“I suppose I could kick
your ass and buy you a few more days off?”

“Hmm. As enticing as the
idea is, I’ll pass.” He picked up another curl and twined it around his
fingers. “I don’t like leaving you here. I don’t like you going to the gym.
Knowing you, you’d try to teach a class. So how to keep my beautiful but
stubborn mate safe from PSI Tech as well as herself?”

“I can’t breathe well
enough to teach a class. I know my limits, kitty. Unfortunately, they managed
to take away something I really need.” A small frown took over her face,
drawing her eyebrows down while she pursed her lips. “Now I want to punch
something. Or claw something. Or chase things.”

“You could claw me in
the most delicious of ways.” He waggled his eyebrows with a comical leer.
“Give it at least a few days, and you’ll be able to shift. Right now, the
pain would be off the charts.”

“Would I heal faster if
I did it? I’m not saying I’m going to shift, but I don’t know how that works.
You told me we heal faster. Would changing give that healing factor a jolt?”

“It might, but there’s a
downside to that. You’re fairly new to shifting. There are times when I still
have to talk you back to your human form. Add pain to the mix and there’s a good
chance you’d be a bobcat until you’re healed. It may speed things up, but it
may trap you for a while, too.” He shrugged. “It happened to my sister and she
was born a shifter.”

“Well, it was worth
asking.” A long sigh slipped through her lips and her shoulders sank. If he had
to guess, his mate was feeling defeated.

“Hey.” He released the
curl and pulled her close. “It won’t be forever. You’re moving around better
than anyone else I’ve seen with busted ribs. Take it easy a few days and
reassess then, okay?”

“Very well, Dr. Kitty.”
She shook her head and closed her eyes. “What do you want to eat? There are
still a ton of leftovers from the stuff my parents brought over.”

“If I’m allowed to
fondle the hired help, I’ll be glad to get in your way while you’re fixing my
plate.” He grinned. “I’ll take a bit of everything. I had a wild bobcat in my
shower this morning and need to renew my energy.”

“More than a little
wild.” She winked and flashed her fangs before pushing herself out of the sofa.
“Come on. Let’s go.”

“Woo hoo!” He followed
her into the kitchen with a soft but constant purr.